Friday, May 31, 2013

Evening Visitor

It was another "late" evening when I got home last night, but thanks to being at the far side of the time zone, it was still full daylight at 7:30, so I went out to finish trellising the peas that had poles ready. Upon completion of said task, I headed back into the house. Just as I was about to to inside, something compelled me to look back across the yard, and I saw I had a visitor:

I took a chance that it was content to stay there and munch, so I went inside to grab my camera. The deer was still there when I returned. After snapping a few shots, I decided to see how close it would let me get. Do you see the fence posts directly in front of its face, to the right in the above photo. I was able to get right up to the fence there, lean right on it. Maybe 10-12 feet away.

It (I suppose I should say he, since the evidence bears this out) was quite content to just stand there and munch on the wild asparagus.

As long as we each stayed on our own side of the fence, all was good.

Look at those whiskers!

Deer have no upper teeth in the front of the mouth. Instead, the upper part of the mouth is equipped with a hard palate, against which vegetation is pinched off with the lower teeth - this is why deer browse has very characteristic ragged ends. They also have rather manipulative tongues (the deer, not the browse).

We communed for quite a while, but once he had stripped off most of the choice bits of foliage, he slowly moseyed along in search of some more tender morsels.

As long as he limits his predations to the outside of the fence I am content to have him visit.

Because I shall be very unhappy if he decides my peas are the choicest morsels around!

Current status in the native gardens: the wild columbine is blooming very well.

Got the rest of the native milkweeds (green, tall green, and purple) planted last night, too. Then it rained a bit - everything is very happy for the rain.

And today, after completing our final "Our World of Water" program at a local school, I am off to the UP for the weekend. The forecast is looking grim, but! I will be in what the state has official labeled the Moose Capital of Michigan, so I have very high hopes of reporting here next week that I have managed to check "see a live moose in the wild" off my bucket list. Wish me luck.

Get Out and Greet the World

With all the grand variety of life on this planet, it is hard to imagine anyone not being able to find something interesting to study! From sea slugs to sundews, redpolls to resin blisters, the world presents an endless array of "WOW" upon which we can feast our eyes, ears and mind. Come take a walk with me on the wild side...

About Me

I have been lucky in life to get paid to do what I love: being a naturalist. As long as I can remember, I've loved the outdoors and find it endlessly fascinating. There is rarely a day that goes by during which I can't learn something new about this planet and the life on it. I hope you enjoyed my various travels around the Adirondacks and nearby environs, and that you will stick with me as I explore all the gifts Mother Nature has to offer in Michigan.